Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the AI terms you will see on this site. Each one is under forty words so it is quick to read between patients.
- AI (Artificial Intelligence)
- Computer software that can perform tasks people usually associate with thinking, such as writing summaries, answering questions, or recognising patterns.
- Chatbot
- A program you can hold a written conversation with. You type a question or instruction, and it writes a reply.
- Hallucination
- When an AI tool produces an answer that sounds confident but is factually wrong. Always double-check clinical facts against a trusted source.
- Large language model
- The kind of AI that powers tools like ChatGPT. It is trained on large amounts of written text and predicts likely sentences in response to your prompt.
- Model
- The underlying AI engine inside a tool. Different models have different strengths; newer versions tend to be more accurate.
- Prompt
- The instruction you type into an AI tool. A clearer prompt usually gives a better answer.
- Token
- A small chunk of text (roughly four characters) that the AI reads or produces. Tools often have limits measured in tokens.
- Training data
- The text or images an AI tool learned from. It shapes what the tool knows and where it is weakest.